Prison Break
by BlueDream1
Summary: A different take on the Sideways world... FINAL chapter is up!
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Prison Break

**Pairing:** Jate

**Raiting:** T

**Author´s Note:** Do you want me to tell you a secret how to get your inspiration back and start writing again? ;) Spend 2 weeks Internet-less, PC-less and mp4-less (which pretty much means Jateless too) - you´ll see how soon you´ll start to create your own scenes, just ´cause you´re unable to watch the real ones or discuss Jate with fellow Jaters... *sigh*

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><p><em>Dr Shephard in Room 5! Dr Shephard in Room 5!<em>

Jack cursed as hot coffee spilled over his scrubs coat as he heard his name being called over the intercom.

He looked down; groaning in frustration when he saw a dark, brown stain spreading over the whiteness of his coat. He tried to wipe it away, but he knew his attempt was useless; just like it had been the previous three times that morning, when he got himself covered first in urine, then in tomato juice and finally in a drunk man´s vomit.

˝Damn ER! ˝he thought; taking the stained coat off and putting on a new one as he rushed through the hospital´s hallways to reach Room 5.

He was in a pissed off state of mind and the fact that they were calling him for every little thing did not help his mood; especially since he was 99% sure that Dr Hamill, a fan of his father´s work that happened to be the new chief of surgery too; was behind it; ordering them to assign him the most gruesome and boring cases just so he could show him what he was missing the past couple of weeks.

The truth was…he _was_ missing it. He missed the shrill of being in the operation room, the challenge of figuring out how to do what the others already proclaimed to be impossible; but, most of all, he missed the look of sheer happiness on the faces of his patients and their families and friends when he would manage to do something that they considered ´miracle´. He himself did not believe in miracles, but was glad when he managed to save people´s lives, especially the lives of those people whom others had already written off us incurable. Those were the cases he had studied for; not the bullshits they were assigning him here.

Jack knew he _himself_ was responsible for his situation. Had he not decided to go to a bar and drink himself into oblivion after another fight with David – which ended in the teenager screaming at him how he hated him right before slamming the door behind – and had he had enough sense not to sit behind the wheel when he was already drunk; he would have still been the respectable Dr Jack Shephard, the best spinal surgeon in California.

This way, however, he caused a car accident; which luckily didn´t end up in anyone´s death; although the driver of the car he had crashed into had suffered serious injuries and had to spend three weeks in the hospital.

As much as Jack had tried to make his superiors believe that it was a solitary incident (caused by his father´s death, the revelation that he had a sister and the constant disagreements with his teenage son all coming down on him) and that he hadn´t gone back to his (_and_ his father´s) old habits; he was given an ultimatum: he could continue to work for St Sebastian, but he was going to be put on two months probation, during which he was to work in the ER; and, after those two months expired, they would reconsider his case; and if they found out he wasn´t drinking anymore; they would give him his old job back. The alternative was to get fired; and as much a part of him wanted to choose precisely that – to spite the hospital, Dr Hamill and, in a weird way, his father – a bigger part of him was still smart enough not to throw away everything he had worked hard for all those years.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he crashed into Rose, the main nurse in St Sebastian.

˝Oh, god, Rose, I´m so sorry. ˝he said; steadying the elderly African-American woman and then going down to pick up the files that flew away from her arms as he collided with her.

˝It´s okay, Dr Shephard, don´t sweat over it. ˝Rose said, taking the files from him. ˝You were probably rushing to that Room5, right? You don´t need to hurry, the police car has just arrived. ˝

˝The _police_ car? ˝Jack asked, confused.

˝Yeah, didn´t you hear? They´re bringing in an injured criminal. ˝Rose explained; then, after looking through the files in her hands, pulled out one. ˝Here. A female. Late twenties. Broken wrist. ˝she recited; then, with a much quieter voice, added: ˝I hear she´s pretty tough, and that´s why the whole entourage is with her. ˝

´_Great_! ´Jack thought. _Not only was he stuck with diarrheas and vomits all day, now he had to deal with criminals too. _

Rose saw the look on his face and smiled, giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder. ˝Cheer up, Jack - ˝

He looked up at her, surprised: she had never called him by his first name before. She didn´t seem to notice though - instead, she just smiled, thrusting the file in his hands.

˝- who knows… maybe you´ll even find what you´re looking for. ˝

And, with a wink, she was gone.

Jack stood there for a couple of seconds, staring after her; then, deciding it was just Rose being…well, _Rose_; he shook his head and smiled. _Some people will never change_.

´_Enough of fooling around, work´s waiting_. ´he scolded himself; then threw a look at the file in his hands. ´_Oh, happy times_…´, he thought sarcastically; then reached for the door handle of Room 5…

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><p>So… you guys already guessing who is waiting in the Room 5? ;)<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Tnx for the reviews and here´s the next chapter;)

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><p>From what Rose had told him, and the fact that he was instructed not to bring any sharp instruments with him in the room, at least until he knew what he would need; he had expected to find a fierce looking woman with blood-thirsty eyes; so he was quite surprised when he saw <em>her<em> instead.

She was sitting on a chair in one corner of the room; cradling one hand in her lap, while the other one was cuffed for the back of the chair. He couldn´t see her face – shielded by the veil of curly brown hair; but he noticed that she hadn´t even looked up when he´d entered; her eyes fixed at her lap, motionless.

He remembered Rose´s words: _I hear she´s pretty tough, and that´s why the whole entourage is with her_. He looked at her again. She didn´t _look_ tough. _Or_ dangerous. In fact, the first word that came to his mind when he saw her was: ´fragile´. Maybe even ´defeated´; but definitely not the trouble-making woman Rose had described.

Rose had been right in one thing though: she _did_ have the whole entourage with her. Two guards were standing in front of the door of Room 5; and there was another one, in a dark black suit, sitting in a chair next to hers. The man got up when Jack entered the room.

˝Hello, my name is Dr Jack Shephard and…˝Jack started, but was interrupted by the man getting up from his chair.

˝Hello, Dr Shephard, I´m Edward Mars, the US federal Marshal…˝he said, offering his hand to Jack and then nonchalantly pointing towards Kate. ˝And this is Kate Austen, our criminal star and the reason for all this hassle. ˝

The Marshal snickered at his own joke, but Jack´s face remained expressionless. ˝Nice to meet you. ˝

He looked down at the file in his hands; then back up at the hand Kate was holding in her lap.

˝So…what do we have here? What happened to your hand? ˝Jack asked the woman; keeping his voice gentle; but he could´ve addressed the wall too – the effect was the same. She didn´t reply – didn´t even raise her eyes to look at him. The Marshal, however, was more than happy to reply.

˝She fell. ˝he snickered; then looked at the woman and added. ˝Isn´t that right, _Kate_? ˝

The woman finally reacted and as she raised her head to give the Marshal what could pretty much be translated as a ´Fuck you! ´look; Jack finally noticed how pretty she was. She was easily the most beautiful woman he had ever seen – _and he had seen plenty_.

The Marshal laughed at Kate´s expression; then addressed Jack again. ˝She´s shy. ˝

Jack said nothing; barely controlling his temper. He felt instant repulsion for the man from the moment he had entered the room; and the few words that came out from the Marshal´s mouth only made his disgust bigger. If his suspicions were right – and he was 99% they were – it was the Marshal that injured the woman… _Kate_; and regardless of the fact that she was a criminal, Jack didn´t approve violence on women.

˝Okay, Miss… I need you to sit over here so I can look at your hand. ˝he said, pointing to the bed that was standing in the middle of the room.

He watched the Marshal un-cuff the woman´s hand from the chair´s leg; then push her up in standing position. His hand remained firm on her arm as he walked her to the bed. ˝Sit. ˝

She did as she was told; her movements void of any emotion, like in a robot. The Marshal took her other hand and brought it close to the bed´s railing; planning to cuff her again; and it was then that Jack had had enough.

˝Is that really necessary? ˝he asked. The woman was totally apathetic; it was pretty impossible that she was a danger to anyone in the room.

The Marshal snickered. ˝_You_ want to tell him, Kate? Why this is necessary? No? Okay, then, how about we _show_ him instead? ˝

As he said that, he pulled out something from his pocket and placed it on Jack´s palm. Jack looked down at it, confused. It was a small toy plane. He looked up and saw that Kate was watching it too; her eyes fixed on the toy. They weren´t as impassive as before; a hint of something – _pain, maybe?_ – clearly visible in them.

He looked down at it again, confused.

˝I…I don´t understand. What´s this? ˝

The Marshal smiled, as if he had always waited for that question. ˝Oh, that´s a good story. _You_ want to tell it, huh, Kate? ˝

Kate shot him a look; but otherwise said nothing.

The Marshal reached for the plane and took it out of Jack´s hand; then lifted it in the air. ˝_This_ belonged to her childhood sweetheart who she got killed a couple of years ago, when she was on the run. ˝he said, lowering the plane down at Kate´s level, so she could see it. ˝Poor guy – had a wife, a two year old kid. ˝he explained, looking at Jack; then turned his attention to Kate again. ˝What was his name? Huh? ˝

Seeing that she wasn´t going to cooperate, he continued. ˝Well, somewhere along the way during the three years that I was chasing her, she starts calling me, at my house, and whining on about her mitigating circumstances. But what she's really doing is _taunting_ me. ˝he said, intentionally lowering his hand at the level of Kate´s eyes and flying the little plane in front of them, taunting her.

Jack watched as her eyes followed the toy, transfixed. The Marshal, however, put it aside; and continued: ˝So, anyway… I tell her that I've got whats-his-name's little toy airplane in a safe deposit box in New Mexico. So, she somehow figures out which bank, which safe deposit box. She seduces some idiot to rob the damn bank, and then she puts a bullet in her new friend because she's done using him. ˝he said, making a little pause; then continuing. ˝But she leaves all the money. She just takes the plane… because that's the one thing in the whole world that Kate _does_ care about. ˝he said, pronouncing every word with intentional slowness.

Averting his eyes from the Marshal, Jack looked at Kate. She was looking down, quiet; and he could see her swallowing down hard; trying to fight off the tears. The Marshal continued:

˝She has no attachments, and I think she's telling herself she _needs_ it…˝he emphasized; and Kate looked up to meet his eyes. ˝… to atone for killing her boyfriend, what's-his-name. ˝he finished, snickering; then added; in a taunting voice: ˝God, Kate, c'mon, what was his name? ˝

Jack startled as Kate suddenly jumped up from the bed and with surprising strength pinned the Marshal to the wall; the toy plane flying out of his hand onto the floor. ˝TOM! IT´S TOM, YOU SON OF A BITCH! ˝

Her outburst didn´t last very long though, because the next second the Marshal elbowed her in the face, sending her fly backwards, crash into the instruments table and then finally land hard on the ground, hitting her head on the bed´s iron leg.

˝HEY! THAT´S ENOUGH! ˝Jack shouted; but the Marshal didn´t seem to hear him – he crossed the room in two steps and leaned down, grabbing Kate´s arm and forcefully pushing her up. ˝And _that_´s why the cuffs are necessary. ˝he finished; turning her towards Jack again.

Jack´s eyes met hers for a briefest second and he could see tears welling in them; but she was too proud to cry – he could see her bottom lip tremble as she fought hard to keep her emotions under control. Her hair was messy, but what concerned Jack was a large bloody stain running down the right side of her forehead; probably from when she hit the bed leg.

The Marshal didn´t seem to care about it though. ˝Come on, MOVE! ˝he said in an annoyed tone, roughly pulling on her arm as he directed her towards the bed.

That´s when Jack had finally had enough. He crossed the room and stood between Kate and the Marshal, getting into the man´s face.

˝I _said_ that´s _enough_. ˝he repeated slowly; his eyes throwing daggers at the Marshal.

The Marshal laughed. ˝Step aside, doc, this is not your business. ˝

Jack remained firmly on his place. ˝Someone treating my patient badly _is_ my concern. ˝he said slowly; then added. ˝Let her go. ˝

The Marshal gave another snicker; then said. ˝She is _my_ prisoner and you have _no_ authorities over…˝

˝She was brought to _my_ hospital and I have _every_ authority to make sure that no one mistreats the people here, _especially_ when they´re _my_ patients. ˝Jack interrupted him. He didn´t yell, but was loud enough to out-voice the Marshal.

˝You don´t want to do this, doc. Not for her. She´s not worth it. ˝the Marshal said, but this time, he didn´t snicker.

˝I´ll decide for myself what I want and what I don´t want. ˝Jack replied coolly. ˝Now, don´t make me repeat it to you the third time. ˝

The Marshal stared at him for a few moments; then shrugged his shoulders. ˝Okay, then. As you wish. ˝And with that, he pushed Kate´s arm away abruptly, making her loose her balance and fall to the ground.

Jack heard her let out a groan as she hit the floor, but resisted the urge to kneel down and check if she was okay; knowing that it was precisely what the Marshal wanted and expected him to do. He turned to him instead. ˝Now…get out of this room. ˝

The Marshal looked at him, surprised. ˝Now, wait just a second, _doctor_! Just because I decided to be nice enough and let go of her, doesn´t mean you can make me…˝

˝This is _my_ hospital and I _can_ make you leave if I think it´s distracting me from my work. And I happen to think so. ˝Jack said; then, seeing as the Marshal opened his mouth to speak; quickly added: ˝Now, if you and your…_buddies_ out there want to make a camp in front of this door – fine with me; but you _will_ leave this room. Now. ˝

The Marshal shot him a killer look; but having apparently realized that there was nothing he could do about it, said nothing; but turned around and headed toward the door.

˝Oh and… while you´re waiting out there, you better call your superiors and let them know to book you another flight – I´m keeping her in hospital for a couple of days to run some tests. ˝

The Marshal turned around, outraged. ˝WHAT tests? She doesn´t need no bloody tests! ˝

˝The wound on her head needs stitches, there´s an injured wrist that now might be broken as well, thanks to your little _escapade_ over there. Not to mention that she could have got a concussion or back injury from that crash. ˝Jack recited matter-of-factly. ˝So, if I were you, I´d call your boss and ask him to arrange me another flight. Unless, of course, you want to give him to me so I can tell him all about how she only had _one_ of those injuries when I entered this room? ˝he asked, the tone of his voice oozing with repulsion.

The Marshal threw him an angry look; then turned to Kate. ˝Looks like you´ve found yourself a new protector. ˝he said sarcastically. ˝But, don't get too used to him – he´ll go away soon. They all do when they find out what you did. ˝

And with that, he left.

Jack turned to Kate, who was still on the floor, in a half-sitting position. ˝You okay? ˝he asked, reaching to help her get up; but she shrugged his hand away.

˝I´m fine. ˝

He watched her struggle to stand up; but didn´t offer to help her again: he knew a stubborn when he saw one.

She finally managed to get up on her feet, supporting her injured hand with the other one. Jack gently guided her towards the bed, encouraging her to sit down as he helped her get into a position comfortable enough for her hand.

˝You know…you don´t really need all those tests, I just said that so you could get a break for him, at least for a couple of days. ˝he said softly, trying to break the ice.

˝So, what – I should be _grateful_ to you now? ˝

Jack winced at the bitterness in her voice, but then remembered what he had just witnessed and reminded himself that she probably wasn´t used to nice treatment.

˝You don´t have to be _anything_ to me, Kate. ˝he said calmly, causing her to look up. He knew she was sorry for taking it out on him – he could see it in her eyes; but he could also see that she was too stubborn to actually admit it. Amused, he bit back a chuckle; then said in an amicable tone: ˝Come on, let´s get this wound checked. ˝

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><p>There – the new update is up – I hope you didn´t wait for too long. And even if you did, I think the length of this chapter is enough to make up for the wait ;)<p>

Next chapter: Jack playing doctor with Kate (and no, not in a kinky way… at least for now ;p)


	3. Chapter 3

Wow, thanks so much for the reviews everyone! *hugs you* They make me stay motivated :) Here´s the next update:

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

Kate winced in pain as Jack dabbed at the wound on her head with a small piece of gauze.

˝Sorry. ˝he apologized; then continued, soaking up the gathered blood so he could see the wound more clearly.

Having finished the check up, he took of his gloves, throwing them in the trash can together with the bloodied gauze.

˝Well, it´s nothing serious, but it still needs a couple of stitches. ˝he said. ˝How´s your hand? ˝

Kate shrugged her shoulders. ˝I´ll live. ˝

Jack smiled. ˝Okay, well, if it doesn´t hurt too bad, I´d take care of your head first and then do the hand scans later. I´ll just go and grab the stuff I need and then we´ll patch this thing up, okay? ˝

Kate nodded, watching him close the door behind and say something to the no-nonsense looking nurse that was standing close by.

˝So, I can count on you that you´ll keep everyone out of the room till I come back? ˝

˝Of course, Dr Shephard. ˝Rose said; then added: ˝You know how persistent I can be. ˝

Jack smiled. That he knew. ˝Thanks, Rose. I´ll be right back. ˝

Kate watched the elderly nurse say something to the guards standing in front of the room; then position herself between them, her back to the door.

Kate chuckled. Jack had probably told her not to let the Marshal in and the woman had taken her new task too seriously.

There was no need for her intervention though; because Jack was back in record time. She watched him exchange a word or two with the still pissed-off looking Marshal; then enter the room with a smile on his face.

˝The Marshal seems rather convinced that you´ll try to stab me with one of these, ˝he said, indicating the instruments he had been holding in his arms and was now putting on the tray close to the bed. ˝…and use me as a hostage to escape; so he informs you that it´d be useless seeing how he cares more about seeing you locked up than me alive. I gotta say – funny guy. ˝he commented, chuckling. ˝Anyway, seeing how I hardly believe that´s going to happen, I suggest we start with the stitching up. ˝

He saw her going pale when she saw an injection he picked up and he smiled. ˝Relax, it won´t hurt much. ˝

˝I´m not afraid. ˝she replied, her lips tightening.

Jack chuckled. _Stubborn to the core._

˝Yes, you are. ˝he said. ˝You just don´t want to admit it. ˝

Kate looked up at him, her eyes ready to send daggers; but she was met with a smile too charming to resist; so she settled on saying nothing instead.

Jack saw the corners of her lips twitch in an effort to prevent the smile forming; and bit back a chuckle himself. ˝As I said, no reason to be afraid – I´ve done plenty of these. ˝he said, throwing her a boyish smile.

He _did_ manage to bring a smile out of her before brining all his attention to his job again. He cleaned the wound with a gauze; then prepared the injection.

˝This might sting a bit. ˝he said and watched her close her eyes as he slowly eased the needle in her skin to numb the surrounding area.

He put the injection down and started preparing the thread and the needle.

˝Any color preference? ˝he asked, making her smile.

˝Nah, black´s fine. ˝

His fingers were skilled and gentle as he worked on her wound, maintaining a small talk to keep her mind off of the unpleasant sensation.

˝I could never do it. ˝she suddenly said. ˝Be a doctor, I mean. ˝she clarified, seeing the confused look on his face.

˝Why not? ˝

˝I don´t know. I guess I´d be too afraid to screw something up. ˝

˝Aren´t we all? ˝Jack said and she looked up.

He pierced her skin again and this time she winced in pain. He was getting closer to the center of the wound and he knew it´d hurt more there.

˝You know, fear´s sort of an odd thing. ˝he said, deciding to continue talking with her as to distract her from what he was doing. ˝When I was in residency, I had this surgery on a sixteen year old kid. It was my first solo procedure and everything was going great. And then, right near the end…as I was closing her up, I accidentally ripped her dural sac. ˝he narrated; his voice more distant now, as if he was reliving the scene all over again. ˝And I… I panicked. The fear was so crazy, so _real_. But I knew I had to deal with it. ˝

Kate wasn´t paying attention to what he was doing anymore; focused only on his voice; his story. _Why did it seem so…familiar?_

˝So I made a choice. I´d let the fear in, let it take over; let it do its thing…but only for five seconds... that´s all I was going to give it. ˝he said, shaking his head. ˝So I… ˝

*flash*

_She´s in a forest or something, it´s raining, raining hard… She´s inside of a tree. She´s hiding from something. Everything´s dark, she can barely see anything…but she can hear it: a loud sound, a noise so terrible it makes her tremble from head to toe. She´s calling for someone, she´s screaming something…a name, but she can´t quite hear whose name it is…The sound is getting closer and closer…she´s so afraid…she doesn´t know what to do… So she does the first thing that pops on her mind..._

*end of flash*_  
><em>

˝So you counted to five. ˝

Words left her lips without her even meaning it to.

Jack looked up. ˝How… ˝

˝I… I did the same in…in a dream. ˝she mumbled, still shaken by the image she had just seen. _It had to be a dream, right? A dream she had remembered because of his story. But it felt so real…_

Jack chuckled, amused. ˝You dream of counting to five? ˝

˝No. I dream of being afraid. ˝she said quietly, her voice taking a note of sadness.

Jack said nothing. He didn´t know what to say. His life was pretty messed up at the moment, but at least he was safe. He had a nice, clean house to come home to. This woman´s only future was jail.

˝There – ˝he said after a couple of minutes of silence. ˝…all patched up. ˝

˝You´re done? ˝she asked incredulously, her healthy arm flying up to touch it, feeling only the gauze there.

Jack smiled at her reaction. ˝I told you you wouldn´t feel it much. Now… ˝he said, taking hold of her injured hand and examining it carefully. ˝The swelling is not as big as it was before, so I doubt it´s broken; but I arranged you a scan in a couple of hours just to be sure. Till then, we´ll put it in this…˝he said, indicating a large piece of white cloth. ˝…so that it rests comfortably. ˝

Kate watched him gently laying her hand down on it and then carefully wrapping the cloth´s ends around her neck. ˝There, that should make you feel comfortable enough, at least until we get the scans. ˝he said, helping her lay down and then pulling a blanket over her. ˝Now, I have other patients to check, so I have to go. You try to get some sleep, okay? ˝

She nodded, feeling quite tired after everything that had happened that day. Jack turned to leave, but suddenly remembered something. ˝Oh and…here. I believe this is yours. ˝he said, taking something out of his pocket.

He opened his fist: a small plane toy was resting on his palm. Kate looked at him. With shaky fingers, she reached out and took the toy from him.

Jack watched her twirl the small plane between her fingers, treating it with special care. She seemed to be in her own world, so he decided to leave her alone to her thoughts.

He was already by the door when he heard her call for him.

˝Dr Shephard? ˝

˝Jack. ˝

˝Jack. ˝she repeated. She loved the sound of it on her lips – it felt…_safe_. _Like home_.

She looked up at him, her green eyes meeting the chocolate ones for the longest time since they had met.

˝Thank you. ˝she said slowly, hoping her words echoed her gratefulness, not only for the toy but for everything he had done for her.

Jack nodded; then smiled slightly. ˝Get some sleep. I´ll come back later to check you. ˝

And with that, he left.

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><p>Next chapter: Jack and Kate continue to bond and Marshal and Jack have a talk…<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Tnx for the reviews! Sorry I´m a bit late with this one, but I´ve had a busy week.

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

Kate heard the sound of the door opening and looked up to.

˝Morning. ˝Jack said, entering the room.

˝Morning. ˝she replied; surprised with the fact that her mood lightened up a bit the moment she saw his face.

˝Did you sleep well? ˝he asked, taking the nearby chair and drawing it nearer to the bed.

Kate nodded, but he could see she was edgy.

˝You okay? ˝

˝Yeah, I´m fine. ˝she replied, shrugging her shoulders.

˝Kate, come on, what´s wrong? ˝Jack insisted, placing himself on the chair.

˝Nothing, it´s just… I´m not used to staying at one place for very long. I guess I´m going crazy in here. ˝she added, giving a small, sad smile.

Jack nodded. He knew a free spirit when he saw one and he didn´t even want to imagine what the prison would do to her.

˝How´s your hand? ˝he asked to change the subject.

Kate smiled. ˝A bit sore from being in this position all the time, but otherwise okay. ˝

˝Well, I´m glad to hear that. ˝he said, smiling. ˝The scans should be done till tonight, by the way. ˝he added, going into his doctor-mode again. ˝The good news is that I don´t think anything broken. The bad news, ˝he said, his voice serious now. ˝…is that once they´re done, I won´t have any more excuses to keep you here. I´ve tried to drag this out as much as possible, but the Marshal is getting impatient and I don´t think… ˝

˝It´s okay. ˝Kate said, interrupting him; but he wasn´t done apologizing.

˝I´m really sorry. If there was anything I could do… ˝

˝Hey, it´s okay. ˝Really. You´ve already done enough. ˝she repeated, placing her hand on top of his to stop him.

*flash*

_He´s in a room or something, he´s sitting on a chair. He opens his mouth to say something, but no words come out. He´s so tired, emotionally drained. He´s trying so hard to keep his emotions under control, battling with all his willpower to keep the defense walls he built to survive this meeting. But then a hand closes over his, and he knows he has just lost that fight…_

*end of flash*

Jack blinked, stunned by what he had just seen. _What was it? Was he hallucinating? Was he going crazy?_

But before he could say anything, a voice spoke on the intercom. _˝Dr Shephard in Room 8! Dr Sherphard in Room 8! ˝_

˝I…I have to go. ˝he stammered, pulling his hand out of hers. ˝I´ll…I´ll try to stop by later. ˝

Kate opened her mouth to reply, but he was already out of the room.

...

What was supposed to be just an ordinary surgery turned out into a 7 hours long nightmare, so by the time he left the emergency room, Jack had forgotten all about the weird flash he had had.

He was tired, hungry and bordering on exhausted. He didn´t feel like going home to the empty apartment immediately after a day like that, so he decided to grab something from the hospital´s cafeteria and finish some paperwork.

He had just placed himself down behind his desk and opened the first file when he heard a knock on the door.

˝Got some time? ˝

Jack looked up to see the Marshal standing at the doorway. His first instinct was to tell him to fuck off, but he managed to put his temper under control, so he just nodded instead.

˝You look like you´ve had quite a shitty day, doc. ˝the Marshal said as he placed himself down in the chair opposite to Jack.

˝I´ve had better ones, yes. ˝Jack replied briefly.

˝Any of these problems related to our favorite criminal? ˝the Marshal asked sarcastically, making Jack immediately regret letting him in. ˝´Cause we both know how easily she can make the men do what she wants them to do. ˝

Jack ignored him. He knew the guy was taunting him, trying to bring a reaction out of him; and he was determined not to fall into his trap.

˝You know, she´s done this plenty of times before. Played an I´m-innocent-and-vulnerable card to get what she wants. It always fascinated me how easily men fall under her charm. But, then again, I see you already know what I´m talking about, don´t you? ˝he added, that annoying smirk still plastered on his face.

Jack said nothing, although his insides were boiling.

˝I´m gonna give you an advice, doc. ˝the Marshal said. ˝No matter _what_ she does… no matter how she makes you _feel_, don't you trust a word that she says. She will do anything to get away. _Anything_. ˝

He watched the doctor closely to gauge his reaction, but he had damn good poker face – he had to give him that.

˝That being said… ˝he added; his voice cheerful again. ˝…she won´t have much time to trick you anyway. ˝

Jack looked up at him.

˝Oh, didn´t I tell you? ˝the Marshal said, tilting his head. ˝We´re moving her back to jail first thing in the morning. ˝

˝_What_? ˝

˝You heard me. ˝

˝You can´t take her. The CT results still haven´t arrived and… ˝

˝Then you can send them by post. ˝he said sarcastically; then continued. ˝Listen, doc, I know what you´re trying to do here, but it won´t work There´s nothing wrong with her hand and the boo-boo on her head wasn´t a big deal in the first place, so CT or no CT, there´s no reason to keep her in hospital anymore. ˝

Jack got up on his feet and passed the desk to reach the Marshal. ˝You made both of those injures, you son of a bitch! ˝he said, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt.

The Marshal just snickered. ˝Careful, doc. You don´t want to end up in jail for assaulting a federal officer, do you? Who´d look after your dearest patient then? ˝

Jack stared at him, his eyes full of hatred. What he wanted the most was to beat the crap out of the guy, but he knew that would only make things worse. So he took a deep breath and released him.

˝I´m her doctor and how long she stays in hospital is _my_ decision and my decision _only_! ˝he said, forcing himself to calm down.

The Marshal snickered. ˝Normally, I´d agree with that, but seeing how she has you wrapped around her little finger... I don´t think so, doc. ˝

Jack took a step forward. ˝You sound so sure of yourself, _Marsh_, ˝Jack said, imitating the Marshal. ˝But you _still_ need my signature on the release papers and I won´t give it until I make sure she´s okay. ˝

The Marshal stared at him. ˝Okay, doc. I wanted to go with the easy way, but you seem determined to try the hard one. So be it. ˝he said, taking a step forward too. ˝_If_ she´s not released by tomorrow noon, I´m going to the judge to get the court order. And then you´ll _have to_ give her to me. The difference is – I´ll be way more pissed off then. And we all need a punching bag when we´re pissed off, don´t we? ˝

They stared at each other for a few moments; then Marshal broke the eye contact.

˝Let go, doc. I told you, she´s not worth it. ˝he said, putting his hand on Jack´s shoulder. ˝You might not believe me, but I´m telling you this for your own good. ˝

˝As touched as I am by your concern,… ˝Jack said sarcastically, pulling himself out of the Marshal´s touch. ˝…I can take care of myself. ˝

The Marshal smirked. ˝If you say so. Just remember: tomorrow noon. ˝

Jack waited till the Marshal left the room; then slammed his fist into the closest wall. ˝Dammit! ˝

He sat behind his desk again and brought his hands together, the Marshal´s words still echoing in his head. _No matter what she does…no matter how she makes you feel, don't you trust a word that she says. She will do anything to get away._

Jack sighed. In any other circumstance, he´d trust a cop rather than a criminal; but there was something about that woman that made it impossible for him to stay unbiased.

Still, he knew he had to find out the facts – and find them out soon. He picked up the receiver and dialed a couple of numbers.

˝James, it´s Jack. I need a favor. How fast can you get me a file of a certain person? ˝


	5. Chapter 5

Tnx for the reviews, guys! And sorry for the wait – I´ve been so busy this week. Unfortunately, this story is coming to an end, but I hope you´ll be satisfied with how the things will turn out… Anyway, here´s the next chapter:

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

She heard a knock on the door and looked up, surprised to see him enter the room. It was quite late in the evening and she hadn´t expected him to stop by anymore that night, assuming he had gotten caught up in a surgery for long and probably gone home to get some sleep.

˝Hey! ˝she greeted him, her lips stretching into a smile. ˝Isn´t it a bit late for the usual check-up? ˝she teased, tilting her head at him; but Jack didn´t smile back, his expression indifferent as he crossed the room and came to stand in front of her.

˝I´ve read your file. ˝he finally said, placing himself down on a chair next to her bed. ˝Tell me something, Kate… ˝he started, drawing the chair closer to the bed. ˝How come someone with no criminal history whatsoever ends up killing a guy? ˝

He watched her expression change, her eyes getting a different, darker shade; and he knew she was shutting down again, going into defensive mood. He guessed correctly.

˝I don't see how that´s any of your business. ˝she replied, her eyes narrowing; her voice cold.

˝Well, how about this… right now, I´m pretty much the only person who cares about what happens to you. ˝he said flatly, causing her to look up and meet his eyes. ˝I also know some very good lawyers, ˝he added, ˝so how about you stop with this I´m-pissed-off-at-the-whole-world attitude and tell me what happened? ˝

They stared at each other for a long time, stubborn meeting stubborn.

After a couple of minutes of silence, he got up, ready to leave the room and give up on trying to pry anything out of her.

He had crossed half of the room when he heard her speak up.

˝I had a stepfather… _Wayne_. ˝she started, making him stop; her voice reflexively lowering at the mention of his name. ˝He was a good-for-nothing, a drunk, a wife beater; but my Mom loved him. ´_You can´t help who you love, Katherine_. ´she used to say. ˝Kate scoffed, repeating her mother´s words as Jack slowly returned back and sat down on the chair again.

˝She divorced my Dad when I was five and then this… _skunk_ moved in to live with us. Every night, I had to listen to him banging my Mom – and even _that_ wouldn´t be _that_ bad if he hadn´t beaten her as well. ˝she said, her voice bitter.

Jack listened, trying to imagine how it was to grow up like that. Not that he had had the brightest, happiest childhood, but at least his father had never hit his mother.

˝When I was 24, ˝Kate continued. ˝I decided to make a photo album for my Dad, for his birthday. ˝she said, just a small hint of a smile at the mention of her Dad. ˝You know, like a scrapbook of his life, of everything he´d achieved. I wrote to some of his co-workers, asking them for a line or two about him, old photos and stuff… and from one picture, I found out that he had been in the army, in Korea, for 13 months before my birth. ˝she said, and Jack looked up.

Kate nodded. ˝Yep. Finding out that I was a daughter of… of _that_ man… it felt… I felt my whole world crumble down. I´d spend hours in front of a mirror, looking for traits of him in me. I stopped going out with my friends for a drink because I was afraid I´d turn into him… And throughout all that time, he continued to get worse. He drank constantly, so he got fired. That only made him drink more though. ˝she sneered. ˝The bills kept piling up, so Mom had to take two jobs. She was almost never home, but instead of thanking her, he kept nagging about cold dinners, messy house, a cup that wasn´t on its place… The fights got more often, and every couple of days I´d find a different part of her bandaged or bruised. ˝

Jack watched her; silent, barely daring to breathe. He had a feeling this was the first in a long time that she had opened to someone; and didn´t want her to stop, to shut herself down again.

˝I told her to go to the police, to report him; but she just kept making excuses. One day it´d be that she had slipped and fallen down the stairs, the other that she had accidentally hit her head on the cupboards, that kind of stuff. And I… I just couldn´t live like that anymore. Watch her like that. ˝

There was a moment of silence; and then she spoke again, her voice void of any emotion, any regret.

˝So I decided to kill him. ˝

Jack looked up.

˝I planned it all out. ˝she said. ˝I took out an insurance policy for the house, in Mom´s name. Planned to put the house on fire, make it look like a gas leak. That way, he´d still be dead, and Mom would at least get something. I didn't plan to tell her right away, not till it was done, till I killed him. ˝

Jack watched her talk about plans for a murder like it wasn´t that big of a deal, like it was normal; everyday stuff; but she didn´t seem to notice, too lost in her memories to care about his reactions.

˝But she found out. ˝Kate said. ˝Turns out the insurance company called her to check some info that didn´t match. I was with her in the diner she worked at when she got the call. She looked so confused while she talked with them. I knew I had to act fast. I grabbed my keys and drove away on my bike. I went home, made sure everything was ready; then sat down on the porch to wait for him. ˝she said, words flowing out of her now, so fast she wasn´t sure she´d be able to stop them even if she´d wanted to. ˝I didn´t have to wait long though. I saw him coming into the courtyard, the tires screeching as the truck came to a sudden halt. He stepped out of it, so drunk he could barely walk. I threw my arm around his waist, helped him into the house, in the bedroom. ˝she remembered, her voice quiet. ˝I took off his shoes, helped him lay down. ´_You´re beautiful._ ´he slurred; then grabbed my arm when I ignored him. The tone of his voice… ˝she said, cringing reflexively. ˝…I still cringe when I remember the way he said it, the way he was looking at me while he said it.

She shivered. Jack listened in silence, his insides tightening. _Wayne couldn´t… She wasn´t…_ But before he could say anything, Kate continued.

˝I knew I had to get out. ˝she said. ˝I freed myself from his grip, got on my bike, drove to the safe distance; then took out the lighter. Drop it down – that´s all I had to do. Drop it down and he´d be gone. My Mom would be free. ˝she said quietly, staring in front of herself, lost in memory.

˝But I couldn´t. ˝she said slowly, shaking her head. ˝After all the planning, after all the precautions I took…when the time had come, I just couldn´t do it. ˝

Jack let out a breath he wasn´t even aware he was holding.

˝I went back into the house, turned off the leak and opened the windows. I needed a drink, somewhere where no one knows me; so I drove to another town. When I came back later that night, ˝she continued. ˝there were police cars and ambulance in front of the house. I got so afraid – I thought he had finally did it – he had finally managed to kill Mom. ˝

She shivered at the thought. ˝I was about to burst in the open… but then I saw them carrying him out on a stretcher, Mom following right behind, crying. ´_Fell down the stairs_. ´I heard them say. ´_We have a reason to believe the death wasn´t an accident_. ´one cop said to the other. ´_The wife says her daughter took out an insurance policy for the house. Thinks she planned to kill him; then burn the place down_.´ ´_Well, seems like she managed to do at least one of those things. _´the other cop snickered. ˝

˝I pulled further away in the dark, ˝Kate continued, ˝careful not to make any noise. For a few moments I just stood there, not able to believe it. ˝she said, a tear escaping her eye. ˝My Mom… my own _mother_ betrayed me – and for who? For the man that beat her almost daily. ˝

Jack watched her close her eyes, willing the tears to go away; then open them again when she managed to put her emotions under control.

˝I knew I had to get away. I knew no one would believe me. Not when even my Mom didn´t. So I ran. ˝she said simply. ˝The rest…the rest just unraveled from then on, I guess: the Marshall would chase me, I´d escape and so on. One thing led to another and… here I am. In a hospital and about to be locked up for who knows how long. ˝

Jack stared at her long after she had finished her story. The room was silent, but storm was raging inside his mind: thoughts swirling like a tornado as he tried to make a decision. But he knew it was useless; that the only thing he was doing was dragging it out. ´Cause he had already made his decision – days ago. He had made it the moment he´d laid his eyes on her – only he wasn´t aware of it then.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath; then opened them again. Leaning in closer to her, he took hold of a small device connected to the headboard of her bed.

˝In about 20 minutes, ˝he said in a hushed voice, ˝press this button and pretend you´re convulsing. I´ll rush in and wheel you out, say we have to perform an emergency. It´s not much, but it´ll buy us a couple of hours of head start. ˝

Kate looked at him, shocked.

˝Jack, what…? ˝she started, but he interrupted her, shaking his head.

˝We don´t have time. Just press this button and I´ll take care of the rest, okay? ˝he said, getting up and rushing to the door.

His hand was already on the door handle when he heard her voice.

˝Why are you doing this? ˝

He stopped; then turned around to meet her eyes.

˝I have no idea. ˝

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><p>Next chapter: Jack helps Kate escape and… will this fic get a bit higher rating? ;) What do you think? ;)<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Don´t worry – I didn´t forget this fic. ;) I´ve got a new job and between that, my other part-time job and life, I didn´t have a chance to actually sit down and write this chapter. So sorry for that. Hopefully you´ll forgive me *puppy eyes*

Okay, enough babbling – here´s the next chapter…

**Chapter 6**

˝Wow, you´re really into this hiding thing. ˝she teased as she watched him draw together the curtains of the room they had just settled into.

They had driven one and a half hour to a nearby town and checked into a small motel; purposely taking one room, to draw less attention. The lady at the reception was quite chatty though, so they´d ended up presenting themselves as newlyweds on a honeymoon trip across the country.

˝Sorry. ˝Jack replied, moving away from the window. ˝I´d never done this before – I guess I don´t know how to behave. ˝he said, shrugging his shoulders and – to Kate´s amusement – even blushing a bit.

˝Don't worry, ˝she said, ˝you´re doing fine. You´re kinda cute actually. ˝she added.

Jack smiled. ˝Just kinda? ˝he asked, tilting his head and giving her an irresistible boyish smile.

She shook her head and rolled her eyed at him.

˝So… ˝she started, taking a seat next to him on the bed. ˝After this whole out-of-the-movies escape… are you finally going to tell me why are you doing this? ˝

˝Kate… ˝he started. _Why did her name sound so familiar on his lips?_

He looked up at her and let out a sigh. _How could he explain it to her when he himself didn´t understand it?_

˝Why do you want to know it so badly? ˝he asked, to get more time.

˝Because no one had done something like this for me before. ˝she said simply; then, remembering how Tom had tried to help her escape and got himself killed in the process; added: ˝At least not someone I´ve known for only five days. ˝

Their eyes met, but he was saved from answering when she let out a long, tired yawn.

˝Come on, you´re still recovering, you should lie down and get some sleep. ˝

She wanted to argue, but she _was_ tired; so she decided to let him get out with it…_for now_.

He got up and crossed the room until he reached the backpack he had managed to smuggle out of the hospital.

˝Here - ˝he said, taking a pile of folded clothes out of the backpack and offering it to her. ˝You can wear this. ˝

She reached for what he was giving her and unfolded it, raising her eyebrow. ˝Male sweats? ˝

Jack chuckled. ˝Hey, it´s not like I have a wardrobe with women´s clothes in my office. It was either that or scrubs. ˝

She smiled. ˝Well, I guess it´ll do. Although the scrubs are kinda hot too. ˝she said, giving him a wink.

Jack froze. _Was she flirting with him? _

Kate bit her lip, averting her eyes. _What was the matter with her? She´d met him only days before and she was already flirting as if they´d known each other for a lifetime? She wasn´t usually like that. Not that she was shy or something, but she liked to keep her distance around the people she didn´t know. With him, however, flirting came naturally, as if she had already done it before, numerous times._

˝I´ll… I´ll go grab us something to eat. ˝Jack finally said, breaking the awkward silence.

˝Yeah, that would… that would be great. ˝

Jack watched her as she crossed the room and disappeared into the bathroom, still under the influence of the little moment they had just shared. He sighed; then took a deep breath, wondering what he had gotten himself into as he quietly left the room…

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><p>He was back twenty minutes later, carrying two large pizza boxes in one hand and a bag in the other. It was too late for the hotel´s restaurant to be open, so he´d gone outside to the nearest take-out and then stopped by at the deli to buy a couple of essentials, toothpaste and toothbrush included.<p>

˝Kate! ˝he called out from the doorway, but there was no reply.

He stepped inside, closed and locked the door behind. He set the bag and the boxes down; then went to inspect the room.

˝Kate? ˝he called out again, a bit louder this time; looking around the room for a sight of her, but all that greeted him was an unusual, eerie silence.

The first thing that popped on his mind was that she had run away.

˝Serves me right - ˝he thought sarcastically. ˝for falling for a fugitive. ˝

Then he thought that somehow they´d found her and arrested her while he was outside. The thought of the Marshall laying his hands on her and mistreating her again made his blood boil.

Fighting with the panic and trying to keep his head clear; he grabbed his car key, planning to go outside in search of her, but the sight of the clothes he´d given her laid out over the chair next to the bathroom door stopped him.

Next moment, he heard a silent humming coming from the locked room and let out a sigh of relief: she _didn´t_ run away, she _wasn´t_ arrested – she was in the bathroom.

Relieved, and also a little bit confused as to why he hadn´t heard the water running, he returned the keys on the nightstand; then, figuring out it´d probably be a while till she came out, decided to turn on the TV to see if the news about their escape had reached the media yet.

Ten minutes later and he found himself slowly dozing off, the exhaustion of the day finally catching up with him. Deciding he should probably let her know the dinner was ready before the pizzas got too cold, he sat up, taking a moment to wake himself up fully before trying to get up.

He was just about to turn off the TV when he heard a loud crash followed by an even louder _´Shit!´_ coming from the bathroom.

Thinking that she was hurt or something, he rushed towards the bathroom, slamming the door open and then stopping abruptly at the sight in front of him.

She was standing in front of the tub, holding tightly to a small (´_Too small_.´, Jack´s first thought was.) towel wrapped around her body; covering enough of her not to define her as ´naked´, but at the same time leaving very little to imagination.

˝I… uhm… I thought you´d fallen or… something. ˝Jack mumbled when he was finally coherent enough to form phrases.

Kate nodded, the expression on his face telling her that he was as shocked as she was.

˝I heard a crash and though… Otherwise, I´d never… I mean…˝he stumbled for words, feeling his cheeks burning up.

˝It´s fine. I probably shouldn´t have yelled like that… the shampoo fell down as I was coming out, and so… ˝Kate said in one breath; still clutching the towel, but feeling naked under his gaze.

Jack watched her leave the bathroom to retrieve the clothes from the chair; then come back inside. He knew he shouldn´t stare, but it was damn hard not to. Her hair was wet; dark curls freely falling over her shoulders as tiny droplets of water glistened on her skin, looking like snowflakes. Snowflakes that begged to be wiped…

´_Or licked_. ´Jack thought.

˝Hmghjggfjkgjk. ˝

He heard a noise and saw her lips moving.

˝I´m sorry – what? ˝he asked, snapping himself out of his thoughts.

˝I said I saw you´d managed to find us something edible at this hour. ˝Kate repeated, guessing where his thoughts had gone and feeling her cheeks warm up even more because of it.

˝Yeah, I… I´ve got us two pizzas. ˝he said, brushing his palm over his head. ˝They´re probably cold by now though. ˝he added, shooting her an apologetic smile.

˝That´s okay, I´m the one to blame for that too. ˝she said; then, seeing his confused look, explained: ˝It felt so good to have a real bath again that I dozed off in the tub, hence why I´ve been in here for… for so long. ˝

She stuttered, realizing she had, involuntarily, brought the topic to her nakedness again.

˝Oh. ˝Jack said, his eyes travelling down her body one more time before he got himself under control again. ˝I´ll… I´ll go check if they´re still ho… I mean warm. ˝he corrected himself.

Kate blushed. ˝Yeah, you do… you do that. And I´ll finish up here. ˝she said; gesturing to the clothes she was holding in one hand.

Jack nodded and headed for the door; but just as he was passing her she had moved too, too absorbed into balancing the clothes in one hand while simultaneously trying to keep the towel on with the other that she hadn´t noticed him being so close until it was too late.

Her body collided with his and his hands immediately went around her waist to steady her.

˝Sorry, I wasn´t looking where I was goi… ˝she started as she looked up at him.

She never got to finish the phrase though; because as their eyes met, something exploded inside both of them; and all the self-control they´d been desperately trying to maintain over the last couple of minutes vanished; their lips meeting in a fast, frenzied kiss without either of them knowing who was the one that´d started it.

Breathless, they pulled out, staring into each other´s eyes for a briefest moment before her mouth swallowed his again; all caution thrown to the wind.

Their kisses became more and more fervent; their bodies responding to the heat that had nothing to do with embarrassment now; and, before either of them was aware of it, they found themselves stammering out of the bathroom; towards the giant bed in the centre of the room…

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><p>So rude of me to end the chapter here, isn´t it? ;p<p>

_When_ I´ll update next depends entirely on you, so hit that little review button. ;) Plus, I could use some cheering up after discovering that LF is now probably gone for good *bawls* I´m surprised I even managed to _finish_ this chapter considering how down I´ve been feeling all day. :(


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you all for the reviews. I know it´s been ages since the last update and I´m really sorry for that, I really didn´t mean it to happen that way. At first I was so busy that I really didn´t have time for writing, and, with this being the final chapter, I didn´t want to just sit down and write it on force and turn it into something crappy. And then, when I finally _had_ time, my PC decided to crash and pretty much stayed that way for the majority of this and last month. Thankfully, it´s fixed now; so, here´s the last installment of this fic.

Oh and, I should warn you, the rating´s going up with this one ;)

**Chapter 7**

Her head was swirling and she could literally feel her body go boneless as he feasted on her breasts, alternating between one and another, between quick licks and slow, methodical sucks whose sole purpose was to drive her crazy, render her mad with desire, wild with need; a task at which he was – she had to admit – definitely succeeding.

They were lying in the center of a huge hotel bed; her flat on her back, the towel now only loosely wrapped around her waist, while the upper part of her body was visible for him to enjoy. And enjoy it he did. He was lying on his side, shirtless. He was propped on one arm, while the other was strategically draped over her stomach, making lazy circles across her skin as his mouth explored her breasts.

His tongue was soon followed by his hand and she let out a loud moan when his fingers started to play with her nipples, teasingly at first; then with more and more passion; rubbing and twirling them one moment; soothing them with his mouth in the other.

She could feel her limbs going limp and knew they would soon reach the line of no return.

˝Jack, what… ˝she asked, breathless; struggling to keep her mind clear. ˝… what are we doing? ˝

He stopped, lifting his head from the valley between her breasts to meet her eyes. ˝Do you want us to stop? ˝

She regretted it the moment he´d stopped and a part of her wanted to tell him nothing was wrong and to continue. But she knew it wouldn´t be fair to either of them.

˝No, it´s… it´s just that I… ˝she mumbled, trying to find the words to explain. She shook her head; took a deep breath then continued: ˝I don't want you to get too involved. It´s already risky enough and I don´t want… ˝

Jack put his finger on her lips, shushing her.

˝Kate, I´ve just organized an escape and a hiding place for a beautiful, captivating woman to whom I´m about to make sweet, sweet love all night long. ˝he said sweetly, looking her straight in the eyes and she found herself melting under his gaze – there was so much love and tenderness in the way he was looking at her right then that with anyone else she would immediately panic and try to find the quickest way out, freaked out about it happening so fast. With him, on the other hand, it all seemed familiar, natural even and she wondered how it possible that she felt like she´d known him for years when, in fact, it was only a couple of days.

He let out a little laugh and added: ˝Heck, I don't think one could get _more_ involved…˝

She knew he was being sincere, but it still somehow didn´t feel right. He was a famous spinal surgeon, he had a successful career, reputation, organized life. Who was she to take that all away from him?

Jack watched her closely. He could see she was still hesitating.

˝Listen, ˝he said, as if reading her mind. ˝… this is not you using me or something, alright? I know what I´m doing. ˝He paused. ˝Okay, maybe more _feel_ than _know_, ˝he muttered, more for himself than for her, ˝but that´s not the point. ˝

˝What? ˝she asked, confused.

Jack shook his head, mentally cursing himself for bringing it up. _He himself didn´t quite understand it, so how would he explain it to her?_ She was still looking at him questioningly though; so he knew he´d have to at least give it a try.

˝Well, it´s a bit hard to explain. ˝he started. ˝The thing is… there´s something about you… I don't know how to describe it, it´s just that… from the moment I saw you – and don't go all feministic on me now – I felt this need to protect you. Call it instinctual or something, but when I saw you sitting in that room, your hand injured and him constantly harassing you, all I wanted was to beat the crap out of him. And I couldn't stand the though of giving you into his custody again. ˝he said, his eyebrows crunching in disgust as if he was reliving the scene again. He shook it away; then added: ˝So maybe what I did wasn't the smartest thing to do, but I _was_ aware of what I was getting myself into, okay?

Kate watched him for a few moments, saying nothing. Then, with a voice barely audible, she whispered: ˝Okay. ˝

Jack smiled, putting his fingers under her chin. ˝Okay? ˝

This time she smiled too and confirmed; her voice more confident this time. ˝Okay. ˝

He watched her for a few moments, enjoying her smile; his fingers gently caressing her skin. He used his thumb to wipe away a happy tear that had found its way down her cheek; then, never taking his eyes off of hers, started to lean down – _agonizingly slowly_, in her opinion – until he finally captured her lips with his, softly at first, just nibbling and sucking at the tender flesh; until she, unable to stand the slow torture of his mouth anymore, pulled him closer, her arms wrapping around his neck in a deadly grip as her tongue began exploring his mouth, battling for dominance he wasn´t so keen to give; not because he was selfish but because he was quite amused by this new, impatient side of hers.

His amusement didn´t last for long though because soon her hands abandoned his neck and started to travel southern, gripping the muscles until they finally managed to sneak in between their bodies. A loud ´Fuck! ´escaped his mouth as he felt her fingers struggle with his buck belt and from then it was all blurry, their bodies working in a frenzy to get rid of the last pieces of clothes remaining.

His jeans were soon on the floor with the rest of the disregarded clothes, quickly joined by his boxers and, before either of them was aware of it, he was lying on top of her, naked; the only thing separating them now being the white fluffy towel that somehow managed to survive the all the madness.

He pulled out of the kiss and looked at her eyes, wordlessly asking one finally time if this was really okay, if it was what she really wanted. She replied by lifting her body off the bed, all the while staring straight at him; offering, _daring_ him to remove the last obstacle on the way. He laughed loudly, kissed her hard; then turned his attention to the towel, his fingers meticulously untying the stubborn knot, making sure she felt every single touch; the corners of his lips spreading into a grin as he felt her literally tremble beneath him.

With the towel finally out of the way, he pulled away; letting his eyes travel across her body. _God, she was beautiful!_ ´Her chest was moving up and down as she tried to control her breathing; her eyes took on a deeper, darker shade of green and her curls lied spread across the pillow, giving her an almost angelic look. Watching her lying like that underneath him: naked, trembling in anticipation of his touch and looking at him with as much passion and love as it was possible to portray, he knew deep down in his heart that he had never felt anything like that for any other woman, Sarah included. They might have known each other for only three days, but it felt like much, much longer; and for the first time in his life he found himself believing in fate, in soul mates.

Stunned by that revelation, he kissed her and kissed her hard; wanting to convey all the emotions he was feeling in that single kiss. And she understood.

Taken aback as much as he was by this connection they seemed to share, she welcomed his mouth, opening herself for him and offering him to take whatever he wanted. His fingers danced in her hair, that soft, soft waterfall that smelled of passion fruits and guava, a scent he couldn't remember encountering ever before; but somehow still managed to recognize it, reminding him of sun, ocean breeze, and home.

As their kisses grew more and more fervent, their limbs started to respond too and soon they found themselves entangled in a net of passion, not really sure where one ended and the other began. Although this was technically their first time together, it was as if their bodies remembered, kissing all the right spots, touching all the right places. He licked the soft skin of her collarbone and she moaned; she closed her teeth over his earlobe and he groaned. There was nothing subtle about their kisses now. She matched him passion for passion and he felt like flying high above the ground, the clouds, high above the space itself. Nothing else mattered: the cops, the marshal, the reputation he might loose. It all felt far, far away; in some other dimension, some other reality; while here and now existed only them, their kisses and their touches.

She was becoming more and more worked up and he himself was not far behind, the need to unite, to become one with her getting stronger with each minute passed.

˝Jack, _please_…. ˝he heard her whimper and it was the only encouragement he needed.

Careful not to crush her with his weight, he placed his tip at her opening and as their eyes locked, he buried himself deep into her, making her gasp and arch her back, _**her fingers grazing the long forgotten scar on his back just as his lips closed over the uneven mark on her chest**_.

And then it happened…

There was a flash of white light and then the world they knew disappeared and the one they had known long ago, in some distant reality, emerged in behind their closed eyelids.

...

_˝Excuse me?˝ /_

_˝You want me to sew that up?˝ / _

_˝You can do it, I´m telling you.˝_

_...  
><em>

_˝Well, fear is sort of an odd thing.˝ / _

_˝I think I would´ve run for the door.˝ / _

_˝No, I don't think that´s true. You´re not running now.˝_

_*eye lock*_

_...  
><em>

_˝If you need me, you know where to find me.˝ / _

_˝You know where to find me too.˝_

_...  
><em>

_˝I need to know that you have my back.˝ / _

_˝I´ve got your back.˝_

_...  
><em>

_˝Please, this place is crazy…it´s just…I can´t… it´s driving me nuts.˝ /_

_˝I know. It´s okay. It´s alright. It´s alright. ˝_

_*kiss*_

_...  
><em>

_˝I´m sorry I kissed you.˝ /_

_˝I´m not. ˝_

_...  
><em>

_˝I can´t leave without you.!˝ /_

_˝Kate, dammit, run! ˝_

_...  
><em>

_˝And you fixed her. You saved her.˝ /_

_˝Promise me that you´ll never come back here for me. ˝_

_...  
><em>

_˝What did they do to you, Jack?˝ /_

_˝I asked you not to come back here for me and I wish… and I wish that you hadn´t. _

_But I will come back here for you. ˝_

_...  
><em>

_˝Because I love you. ˝_

_...  
><em>

_˝Kate, if something happens to me…˝ /_

_˝Shut up, Jack.˝_

_...  
><em>

_˝I´m not leaving without you.˝_

_...  
><em>

_˝I have always been with you. ˝_

_...  
><em>

_˝I just wanted to tell you that, what I said in there… I didn´t mean it.˝  
><em>

...

_˝I´m so glad you changed your mind. I´m so glad you´re here.˝ /_

_˝Me too. ˝_

_...  
><em>

_˝Will you marry me?˝ /_

_˝Yes! Of course I will, yes! ˝_

_...  
><em>

_˝I _still_ have to explain to him why you´re not there to read him, _

_so don't you say his name! ˝_

_...  
><em>

_˝Aaron is my family too. ˝_

_...  
><em>

_˝Are you still going back to the island?˝ /_

_˝Yeah… Yeah, I think I am. ˝ /_

_˝Then I´m going with you. ˝_

_...  
><em>

_˝And what about us? We just go on, living our life, ´cause… _

_we´ve never met? ˝_

_...  
><em>

_˝It was not all misery!˝ /_

_˝Enough of it was. ˝_

_...  
><em>

_˝Are you with me on this?˝ /_

_˝Yes. ˝_

_...  
><em>

_˝I hope you find what you´re looking for. ˝_

_...  
><em>

_˝Jack… I couldn´t find you… I couldn't find you! ˝_

_...  
><em>

_˝Tell me I´m gonna see you again. ˝_

_...  
><em>

_*kiss*_

_...  
><em>

_˝I _love_ you!˝ /_

_˝I love _you_. ˝_

_...  
><em>

It ended as abruptly as it started, leaving them breathless and lightheaded.

Jack was the first one to recover: propping himself on his elbow, he cupped her face in his palms. ˝Hey… ˝he said happily, sporting the biggest grin she´d ever seen him wear.

But she didn´t smile back, he realized that. Instead, her bottom lip was trembling, and, soon, her whole body followed too and Jack realized she was on a verge of a full blown breakdown.

˝Sssssh, hey… come here. ˝he said and somehow managed to draw them both up in a seating position without pulling out of her.

He settled so he was leaning against the headboard, her body wrapped around his as tightly as possible. Shaking like a leaf, she brought her trembling hands to his face and kissed him hard two times before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in the firmest hug ever. He returned it with the same strength, wrapping his arms around her waist and keeping her close as she wept into his neck.

˝Ssssssh, it´s okay…It´s alright… it´s gonna be alright. ˝he spoke softly in her ear, his own tears falling down freely and mixing with her skin. It felt so good to have her by his side again, to be able to hold her, touch her… He remembered walking towards that cave, not caring about living anymore, because he already felt dead inside, and it had nothing to do with the wound that ripped his side.

He continued to speak softly in her ear until he felt her starting to calm down; then rocked them a bit more till she finally pulled away from his embrace. She took his face in her hands and kissed him again.

˝I´ve missed you so much. ˝she said in-between the kisses then pulled him into a hug again. He kept her close and buried his face in her hair, closing his eyes as familiar scent hit his nostrils. _This was Kate. His Kate._

He let out a small, happy laugh and this time he heard her laugh too. He pulled away to look at her face – it was tear stricken, but the happiness emanating from it could lit the whole room and he found himself laughing again. He kissed her happily – once, twice – then their kisses turned more and more fervent as their bodies began to wake again.

He wanted to go slowly, to take his time with her, to show her just how much he´d missed making love to her; but they were both too agitated, too impatient to slow things down. She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, causing him to sink in deeper. They both groaned at the contact; then locked their mouths in a fervent kiss and let their bodies do the rest. He could tell she was getting closer to coming, so he sped his movements, leading her higher and higher until she finally exploded, arching her body and closing her eyes as immense waves of pleasure racked her body. He waited her to get down; then resumed his ministrations; making her come once more before finally letting go, intertwining his fingers with hers as he locked her mouth in a kiss she was sure she´d never forget.

He pulled out of her and rolled on his back, trying to catch breath. They lied in the centre of the bed for a few minutes, both too exhausted to speak, the only things that could be heard in the damp room being the sounds of their breathing as they waited to come down from height.

He could hear her breathing becoming more and shallower and he saw her eyes close briefly before she´d force them open again. He laughed. He knew she was tired to the point of being exhausted, but would never admit it.

˝Kate, you _can_ fall asleep. ˝he said, slightly amused; then got serious again: ˝I´m not going anywhere. I´ll be there when you wake up. ˝he added softly, guessing immediately her reason for resisting sleep.

She wanted to raise her head and look at his eyes, but was too tired to do so, so she just mumbled, her brain already somewhere between sleep and reality: ˝You promise? ˝

He felt his heart break for her, the silent plead for him to promise never to leave her again telling him more about the heartache he´d caused her than any words could ever do. He bent his head and gave her a quick peck.

˝Yeah, I promise. ˝he said silently. He saw the tiniest smile appear at the corners of her lips before she finally gave in to exhaustion, her head falling on his chest as her arm went flex across his stomach.

He watched her sleep for a while; then placed a gentle, soothing kiss on her forehead.

˝I promise. ˝he whispered, more for himself than for her; then closed his tired eyes.

The last thought that crossed his mind before he let go was that he would keep his promise. They were finally together and nothing in the world would keep them apart again.

They were _home_.


End file.
